Hypothetically, is this ethical?

[Eric]

IMO disagree and if I ever knew about this as a hiring manager I would never hire this person. If you're not getting what you need from your job then you should move on (I have done this a few times in my career) but to screw your current employer because you're not getting something you need says more about you than it does the company.

 

[Huntn]

Maybe they’d get a raise, if they told them?

 

[Cmaier]

Assuming that this person is tasked with finding software errors, then I agree he is being unethical, because he’s not performing the job he is being paid to do. If he’s a janitor or something, then no.

 

[Roller]

Assuming that this person is tasked with finding software errors, then I agree he is being unethical, because he’s not performing the job he is being paid to do. If he’s a janitor or something, then no.

A janitor would be perfect. It sounds like there’s a lot to clean up at the company.

 

[rdrr]

Disagree. If you feel you are worth more and they say no, then go get more somewhere else. Until then, work for the company and be a part of it. If your attitude is, "It's not my job." Then it probably shows why they felt justified in saying no, and on top of that, they probably have a cash shortfall.

 

[Cmaier]

Disagree. If you feel you are worth more and they say no, then go get more somewhere else. Until then, work for the company and be a part of it. If your attitude is, "It's not my job." Then it probably shows why they felt justified in saying no, and on top of that, they probably have a cash shortfall.

The way I break it down is that I’ve agreed to do a certain job in exchange for certain compensation. So I will do that.

Loyalty has to go both ways, and it’s been a long time since employers have been loyal to employees. You expect me to go above and beyond and help with something outside my job responsibilities, but if I need 3 days off to deal with a personal issue, fuck you you’re fired. Your cat died? Sorry. Can you get here by 10? You just had surgery? Would you mind updating this document as soon as you wake up?

 

[Eric]

This was one of the issues I had with Edward Snowden, I could relate particularly because he was in the exact same field using the exact same software I did during my career (SharePoint and Government contracts) and he breached some serious protocols. Putting aside the secrets he uncovered, he had full admin access to their systems and went rooting around through their documents to find the information.

I know a lot of people will disagree because of what he found but either way it was an absolute abuse of your duties and access.

 

[Yoused]

My ethics can be flexible. My first question would be where is this money going? I would be disinrlined to do anything about it if I thought the loss added up to a social net positive. What would happen if I just silently fixed the issue? Suddenly the company finds itself with a change in its revenue profile: what happens then? Does it just plop into the CEO's portfolio? It is hard to see how that would be a good thing, unless I determine that the losses are being swept up by people/companies whom I really dislike.

Clearly this company does not respect my efforts to the extent that I think they should, and they seem to be big enough to absorb a loss that is at least scores of my paycheck. If I do nothing, they will just write it off anyway. If they disrespect me, I am not so sure that they deserve my respect.

 

[leman]

To me, discussing whether it's ethical behavior or not misses a more important point. These tensions arise because workers feel unappreciated and exploited. You mention the employee's responsibility towards the company, but what about the company's responsibility towards the employees? Recent decades have seen an unprecedented growth of corporate greed combined with an incredibly hostile work market. No wonder that apathy and disengagement are so high, and it's only going to get worse.

To make things clear, I am a big fan of capitalism and the free market. However, the success of the capitalist model came from the realization that the workers must be well-compensated and satisfied. And the market should be free, with regulations ensuring equal competition and opportunities. These basic conditions haven't held in a while. We are quickly falling back to the dark ages of unchecked worker exploitation and all-powerful oligarchy. And it's very well know how sustainable that model is.

 

[fischersd]

It's obviously this coder's job to fix bugs. If I had an employee that pulled this, they'd be let go. Horrible, entitled attitude. People need to be comfortable financially. Life is stressful enough - we should be ensuring that our staff make more than enough that finances aren't a source of angst.

The employee feeling undervalued, they should change jobs.

Regarding capitalism - yep, I think we're headed for a tipping point. The fact that so many of these billionaire jackasses are Trump supporters only makes me smile - as they've painted targets on themselves in doing so. People that didn't think they were deplorable before? Nope, not now - you're judged by the company you keep. Hanging out with Cheeto Hitler's going to have you painted with the same crazy brush.